Livi the Red Nosed Toddler, or This is What Sugar High Looks Like

Yep, this is what a sugar high looks like.
We spent a lot of Easter afternoon cleaning out our garage which means we found all sorts of "treasures." I opened a box I've had closed up since we moved from Provo (7 years ago) and found 2 barbies inside. One was a Sleeping Beauty collectors edition Barbie and the other is a BYU cheerleader Barbie my sister got for me. The girls descended on them like vultures on carrion, but poor Ethan felt a little left out. I searched the boxes and tried my best but for some reason he didn't think an old book mark, a recorder, or a book about Medieval maps were as good as the toys the girls got. Poor guy.
Speaking of sad things, Livi was so excited to get to play outside she tried going down the porch steps all by herself. She tripped and skidded across the carpet face first. The sweet little thing got a rug burn on her nose. She now looks remarkably like Rudolph.

Happy Easter, or Something is Wrong With This Picture

Normally I think Easter morning is second only to Christmas as far as excitement goes, but when I am awake and ready to post the mornings activities and it is not 8:00 am yet, there is something definitely wrong with the picture. The kids were just a little too excited to get going, so goodbye morning snooze. We were up and at 'em around 6:30. Yick, that should not be allowed on a beautiful (when I say beautiful I mean the wonderful overcast days that only I seem to love) Sunday morning.
Enough of my tired tirade. Let's move on to the fun the kids had....
All three kids were running around with their Easter baskets this morning, and checking the front yard through the window to see if they could spy any eggs. We did get them to eat some healthy food for breakfast (if you count sugared cereal and eggo's as "healthy") before the festivities began. In our house the Easter Bunny left a treasure hunt with clues the kids had to follow to find some treats. This was our favorite clue that the Easter Bunny drew for us. Yes it is suppose to be Livi in her crib, it is not an alien in jail as it may appear.After the treasure hunt and the egg hunt outside the kids sat down to eat their spoils. Notice the concentration, the determination, the colored drool rolling down Livi's face.
I recorded it all for our parents, so most of you wont want to sit through watching my kids run around, but there is something ADORABLE about Livi running, floppy hair that Eric did yesterday, with a basket bigger than she is.
Quote of the morning: Eric told Ella we were having a "yummy Easter dinner." To which Ella replied totally serious "We're having candy for dinner?"

Below are the thumbnails for the videos. Just click on them and it will take you to my photobucket account. The images were taking too long to upload to blogger, sorry!

This Old Man, He Turned 31....

I can't believe Eric is 31. It seems like such a short time ago that we were angst ridden teenagers falling in love and looking forward to this time where we would be adults. Now we have 3 kids, a mortgage, responsibilities and lots of bills. I guess a lot can happen in those in-between years. I am just grateful that I have such a wonderful partner on this crazy ride. Happy Birthday Eric, I love you!Livi was very helpful with unwrapping gifts, but a little surprised that none of it was for her.

Eric wanted shepards pie, and cherry cheesecake for his meal (not at the same time, the cheesecake was dessert).
Poor Eric, for his birthday I took him to look at a house that I love, but that others have referred to as "the dump." He is so generous to spend his birthday doing things I want to do! (although we did spend Ethan's birthday going to Cabela's so I guess this is just payback in a way)

Crazy Woman in Our Kitchen

Eric was having a little too much fun this morning with "April Fools." He told Ella there was no more Ovaltine. He told me his trip to Lincoln next week was canceled (I'm still not sure if it is or isn't), and he told Ethan that Mr. Behnke called and everyone got the day off from school except Ethan. Ethan thought these were just hilarious and decided to do his own joke. He ran in our room and said "Mom, Dad, there is a woman in the kitchen making snow angels and smoking a cigarette." Hmmmmmm, maybe not the most believable, but definitely one of the more creative ones I've heard!From this morning. I wish I could say this isn't our typical breakfast scene, but that would be a lie.

Mom and Dad Were Hiding This From Me

Livi has finally discovered the great outdoors. By great outdoors I mean our 8000 square foot lot, but when you are barely over 2 feet tall, that's a lot of space to explore. Last summer she was still a tiny baby, and all winter we were pretty snowed in, so now that Spring has sprung we have been spending more time playing in the yard. Livi screams every time we come in. The look on her face is accusatory almost as if she is saying "You have been keeping THIS from me! What the heck!). She is a natural swinger, holding on like a pro. I was trying to get some leaves raked up when I looked over and she had climbed the climbing wall side of the swing set and was sitting poised to go down the slide. She looked at me, almost like she was daring me, and as I started to run over to her she launched herself down the slide. She is only 17 months old, and she just went down like it was nothing. She rocketed off the end and landed on her bottom, but got up and laughed so hard I thought she would fall over again. Now it is all I can do to make sure she goes down safely, forget about actually getting something done outside!

Nothing says kidnapping and slavery like wearing green

So we were having a fun Saint Patrick's Day (confused about the title, look it up, he's not even Irish), and thought I would share some of our fun through pictures. Ella and I painted our fingernails green. Ella made sure everyone had green on their clothes. It was her own version of the "green police." We had lots of green food too: Green Naniamo Bars 7-Layer Jello with Green on top (thank you Melissa!). For dinner I made green crust for pizza. Ella loved all the green at the beginning of the day, but by the end was asking "why does everything always have to be green..." in a nice whiny voice. Poor Bell. They need a day when everything is Pink (Valentines doesn't count because there is too much red, according to Ella).

We Love Dad (but not Mom)

Maybe some day it wont hurt so much. Maybe one day my kids will like me as much, but until then Dad is the clear favorite. When Eric gets home everyone is happy. They race to the door, jump all over him, and beg for him to play. It's hard to be the parent that no one likes, that is in charge of most of the discipline, chores, and limiting of favorites (i.e. chocolate and tv) It's hard that Livi has been able to say "Dad" since she was 8 months old, but still at 17 months refuses to say "Mom." It's hard that the kids fight to have Eric read them their bedtime stories. But on the same hand it is so nice. It is nice that my kids love their dad. It is nice that Eric knows our kids. He knows their favorite colors, favorite characters, favorite animals, what they are scared of, what worries them. Not all kids are lucky to have dads like that, so maybe Eric is my favorite too.

Need a Good Laugh? Ethan to the Rescue

I was cleaning off my counter (I know, shocker) when I encountered some of Ethan's drawings that I had set aside. He is such a prolific drawer (I threw away about 100 pictures just from that last couple of days, I am a bad mom, but I just can't keep them all) but these were some I had really got a kick out of.
The first is a food store in the middle of the jungle. It is run by an ocelot and has food in bins at the bottom for bunnies, gerbils, and hamsters (yes, even gerbils in the jungle have to eat). In the middle of the store is the food for the carnivores, with bones and meat for their enjoyment. At the top is my favorite, a chalkboard with the specials of the day written on it. For this week the specials are: Sunday - Meat, Monday - Bones, Tuesday - Everything. Awesome!
The second picture is of the X-Men. Ethan was playing with a Wolverine toy he's had for a while and started asking about the other X-Men. He has an X-Men backpack so he knew a few, but he wanted to know more. He would ask about their hair and powers, and came up with there interpretations of them. From left: Beast, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and Professor X. The third picture is a scene that Ethan thought would happen in one of the X-Men movies. Storm and Wolverine are talking to Professor X. The 2nd frame at the bottom has Wolverine ask "Could we get some pe..pep...siep?" Ethan said he stuttered because he was nervous. I can just wee a nervous Wolverine asking for permission to get some Pepsi, can't you? (Don't know why Ethan is obsessed with Pepsi. We don't drink Pepsi, he's never had it, but for some reason whenever he talks about soda it is always Pepsi. He's even told people I love Pepsi, but I think he means root-beer. That's a great conversation at church!)

It's Not Easy Being Lois Lane

Okay so I'm not a successful reporter, but some days I feel like the Lois Lane to Eric's Superman. I sit at home doing things that feel important, immersed in my own life, expecting him to pay attention and act like he is interested in the petty goings on, all the while he is out there saving the world. I'm sure Lois and Superman had conversations like ours:
Me: "Can you believe that Ethan is suppose to read 20 books this month. Every day he comes home and has to work on spelling and reading. When is he allowed to be a kid and run around? The bathroom is leaking again. I really wish you would look at that pipe again. I feel so lonely, why can't you throw the "conversation ball" back to me once in a while? I am so tired of playing the piano at church. My bottom hurts after sitting on a piano bench for 4 hours on Sunday, plus I hate practicing boring music all week long...etc. So, how was your day?"

Eric: "I was able to terminate the parental rights of some parents that had sexually abused their children, they were living in 2 ft of dog poo and the youngest child hadn't been bathed in 2 years. The judge was going to send them back home, but my well written brief convinced him to change his mind. My boss and the Attorney General of the State both called to tell me they were proud. Oh, and I was able to get them adopted by a neurosurgeon and his professor wife who is giving up teaching to give them a loving stable home. So tell me some more about practicing the piano."

Me: "Ummmmmmmmmm, never mind."

You may think I am exaggerating, but this is basically the balance of our conversations (and the Attorney General thing really happened). It's hard to complain about the little things when Eric sees so much worse and is literally changing children's lives. He may not get paid as much as some Skeezy ambulance chaser lawyers, but I doubt Clark Kent was rolling in dough either.
I've been trying to do things that I feel are a little more of a .... hmmmmm...... contribution to our society, however locally it may be. I had the opportunity to play the piano for some kids in our ward for our Middle School orchestra recital. I thought "great, culture in Scottsbluff." Well, our piece turned out well, the rest I may have had to look at the program to see what piece was playing, but it was fun to feel apart of something outside of my home. They may have spelled my name wrong, it may have only been for 2 minutes, and I may have hit some wrong notes, but I had a blast! (kind of sad, but there it is, I am Lois Lane).

Here Come the Princess Girls

They came in the mail. Ella was so excited! Livi caught the feeling, the fever if you will. They both danced around on their toes as I opened the box, and as I pulled out the silky pink material they both squealed. Then I handed the dress to Ella and Livi collapsed on the floor in a puddle of screams. Luckily there was another, smaller dress in the box. After convincing Livi that the dress would be best put on with help (instead of her preferred method of shoving arm holes over her head) we had two ecstatic (that's a fancy word for happy) little princesses running around the house. It was not fun when I finally made them take off the dresses, and they have asked several times (well Ella asked, Livi points at it and then screams at me) if they can wear them again. I am trying to wait for Julia's wedding so the dresses still look nice, but we will see if my will or my eardrums win out.Here is what the dresses look like with my bridesmaid dress fabric.

Happiness is a Warm Lap

Livi is getting to that "wonderful" stage when she wants to do EVERYTHING herself. I've always enjoyed giving her a bottle because it is the only time of the day she will actually sit still and cuddle. I was so sad when a couple of weeks ago she started taking the bottle from me and feeding herself. Luckily she still wants a nice lap to sit on while she enjoys her "leche."

The Darker Side of a 4 Year Old Mind, or Just Optimistic?

We were in the car on the way to Ethan's parent teacher conference when Ethan started asking about Heaven. He said "I want to know what Heaven looks like." Ella answered in a cheerful voice, "Don't worry, you'll know soon!"

Do You See What I See?

I was at Ella's preschool today to help with their castle pretend play area. Livi and I were spending the time while the kids were singing their songs playing with the little doll house Mrs Hessler has in the room. This is a very cute 1950's era doll house, just like my Grandma Donna has. The figures are little plastic replicas that say "mother," "father," "little sister," etc. Imagine my suprise when I was lining up the figures and I found this one. Is it just me or is this a naked woman with just a towel around her waist. Her expression tells me that she was just as surprised as I was! I felt a little badly when Mrs. Hessler asked what I was taking pictures of and I showed her the figurine. She was aghast that the kids could have been playing with it. I don't know. Maybe I am seeing things that aren't there. Maybe it is a very cold woman, running in a skirt, with no shoes on, who just stepped on a tack and that is why she is making that face. Could be...

Bucket Head

I guess if my head fit in this bucket I might consider wearing it as a hat too!

3 Ways to Bowl, or Oh My Gosh, How are These My Kids

Now I like bowling, it's not my favorite past-time, but every once in a while I think it is "good fun" (yes, I turned into a stodgy 1960's old man). For all the enjoyment bowling has given me I have never had any of the reactions my kids displayed this last trip bowling:


I guess Ethan is in the "I could care less" category. I know his rolls were a little slow, but to just turn your back and enjoy a candy while waiting shows a real lack of enjoyment.


Ella falls into the "SO Very Competitive" category. She would run up, get in position, and if she knocked down less than 5 pins was upset.


Livi falls into more of the "I can't believe you get to throw things for fun" category. Listen for the laugh, it's faint, but there!

7 Layer Dinner and the "Look"

I haven't had 7 layer bean dip in a while, and was missing it. I always relate 7 layer bean dip with my favorite roomie, Laurel. Laurel understood the appeal. Eric, not so much. I laid the bean dip (made entirely from scratch, even the refried beans) on the counter and called everyone to dinner. Eric is not a big talker, and he knows better than to complain about something I actually cooked, but he gave me a "look". This "look" said more than Eric had said aloud to me all day. The "look" said:
"Bean dip for dinner? Are you kidding me? Bean dip is not a meal, it is a side dish! Where is the real food?"
I felt a little cowed by the "look" I hurried and pulled a pineapple from the fridge and cut it up. In that moment, the "look" made me miss Laurel. Laurel understood bean dip for dinner. It has protein (beans), veggies, dairy, carbs (chips). What is missing? Laurel was also good at understanding doughnuts for dinner, cupcakes for dinner and cinnamon bears for dinner. Laurel I miss you!

Liv-In-The-Box

I know it's mean, but when Livi got in the diaper box and got stuck, I didn't run to her aid. It was just so funny I grabbed the camera instead. It won't put me in the Mom-of-the-Year running, but I do have these funny pictures and video to share. Worth it!

Here Comes The Bride

What a fast, fun, amazing weekend. After Julia announced she was engaged on Sunday, decided to go wedding dress shopping on that Saturday, so on Wednesday I decided I wanted to be there. I only have one little sister, and she would only pick out a wedding dress once, so I wanted to be there. My wonderful friend Melissa watched the girls Friday afternoon so I could leave a little earlier, so I got to Provo Friday evening, spent all day Saturday going from dress shop to dress shop, and had a wonderful time. We found the most amazing dress ever for her that made me cry seeing her in it. It is soooo Grace Kelly and she is the perfect everything for the dress. I am not posting the picture, (who knows, her fiance, McKay, may be as addicted to my blog as my Mom and Joan are) but I am putting some of the wonderful, but not perfect dresses she considered. The trip was too short, but I did get to listen to some great books in the car, and it's amazing how the trip took 2 hours less when I didn't have little kids (or a husband :) ) in the car with me!

6 Kids, 2 Parents, and a Dog

We were lucky enough to have the Bagley kids spend the night at the beginning of the month while Melissa and Chad went to celebrate Melissa's birthday. From Friday afternoon to Saturday night we had 3 sets of twins and a dog. It was TOTALLY AWESOME! (imagine the hamster from "Bolt" saying that) The older kids were pretty self sustained. They would run off and play with their partner and resurfaces when they needed something. Carter and Livi were so much fun. Eric and I were able to each take a baby and so it was completely manageable. Friday night was interesting. It was a first sleepover for all our kids, so we had some excited kids on our hands. They are all such good kids though, that all it took was me sitting in the room for 5 minutes (and interrupting the block city that was being built) for the girls to drop off to sleep, and boys just needed a few reminders (really, how can you interrupt such funny conversations). Saturday we had fun going to McDonalds, making Valentine's cookies, watching Monsters vs. Aliens, and just playing with friends! At the end I'm not sure who was more excited to see Melissa, Carter or Bentley, the dog. Speaking of Bentley, it was SOOOOOOO fun to have a dog on loan. Sunday morning I woke up and missed having the cute little bundle around my feet and on my lap. Even Ethan ran up stairs, looked around and remarked "Where is Bentley?"Here are a couple of random pictures: Me with Livi, who wanted to sit on my lap and read a book, and Bentley who wanted to sit on my lap and eat the book. Carter loved all the necklaces around the house. I swear I would take one off of him, turn around for a second, and he would have found another. I never let them stay on, but I had to get a picture of how happy he looked wearing the "pirate treasure."Eric loved having the warm little body to nap with. Notice where Bentley is and where Ethan is. They are BESIDE each other Yeah, progress! Now here is one of my all time favorite videos. Eric was playing with the babies (they are only 4 weeks apart) and they LOVED it.
Thank you Bagleys, we had a great time!